Chapter 8.4

It must have been spread by those who loved attention and gossip. Whether it was true or not, there would always be people whispering, “I heard it from someone I know.”

Brooks was probably among them.

No, it was obvious even without seeing. Surely, he must have spread rumors about her somewhere.  

Daphne’s eyes narrowed as she thought of Brooks, who had once again dumped all his work on her and run away today. Since the rumors were about her direct supervisor and the head of the infirmary, people would have trusted them without checking if they were true.

“It’s not true.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m not being exiled to the Mage Tower. I’ll keep working in the infirmary. I don’t know who told you that, but—ah, I’m not blaming you, Sir Clyde, I’m just telling you the facts. Anyway, I’m a medical officer of the Order. I’m not going anywhere.”

“…Is that true?”

Daphne gave a small nod to Evan, who looked at her with eyes brimming with tears. This was where she belonged—where else would she go?  

The Magic Development Department?  

She might choose that if she wanted to work herself to death from overwork.  

The Mage Tower?  

Once you go in, you can never come out; why would anyone choose that?  

Once again, her life motto was: “Don’t live precariously, just live an ordinary life.” She got her salary just by staying put, would get a pension upon retirement, and even received affordable housing—who would give up all that and choose a difficult path?

Hoping her sincerity would reach him, Daphne placed both hands on his shoulders and spoke with a serious face.

“Yes. It’s true.”

“You really aren’t leaving?”

“No, I’m not leaving. I like it here.”

“You’re not leaving….”

Evan sniffled, trailing off. Daphne’s gaze naturally drifted to his tightly pressed lips.

Ah, there’s nothing I can do about it. I was just born this way.

Her gaze was filled with a rather improper desire, but Evan didn’t seem to notice, still repeating how relieved he was.

Now that she thought about it, her hands were still on his shoulders. Feeling the firm muscles beneath her palms, Daphne unconsciously swallowed. Then she pressed her fingers just a bit, squeezing the muscle.

The sensation of the muscle yielding softly made Daphne gasp. She felt as if she was doing something she shouldn’t, seeing his worried eyes looking at her. Her chest ached with guilt.

When she stopped him, she’d planned to be honest about her past—so how did things end up like this?

Daphne forced herself to remove her hands from his shoulders and took a slow breath. Then, with a determined look, she looked up at him.

“Sir Clyde, this might take a while—are you alright with that?”

“Of course.”

The answer came instantly, without a moment’s hesitation, and it was Daphne who was taken aback. It was already past midnight, and he would have training tomorrow, so she needed to finish as quickly as possible.

They couldn’t just stand awkwardly in the middle of the duty room, so Daphne led him to the bed. When she pressed his shoulders to seat him, his expression started to change rapidly.

Ah, could it be…

Seeing his hand hovering uncertainly near her waist, Daphne realized what he was thinking. No, this time she really just had something to say! She had to clear up the misunderstanding before it got worse, so she brought over the only chair and sat across from him. Evan’s hand, which had been suspended in midair, dropped quietly.

Ignoring the faintly disappointed look in his eyes, Daphne cleared her throat a few times and began.

“I’m not sure where to start, but as you heard, I really am Baron Lewin’s biological daughter. And I am also the Grand Mage Isaac’s disciple.”

Daphne pulled up her sleeve and showed him the scar on her forearm. It was the same deep scar he’d asked about before. Back then, she’d said it was from an accident with chemicals. Looking down at the scar that would never fade, Daphne spoke in a relatively calm voice.

“I got it before I ran away from Baron Lewin. Grand Mage Isaac tried to heal it, but it was too old to erase. It happened when I was five.”

“…Did Baron Lewin hit you?”

“He did, but not this. Anyway, I was the illegitimate child born outside, and the Baroness hated me, so she made me do a lot of hard work. That’s when I got it.”

Evan stared at the scar with darkened eyes, grinding his teeth. Daphne rolled down her sleeve, covering the scar, and spoke in a now unconcerned tone.

“It’s all over now, so I’m fine.”

“Why do you keep saying you’re fine?”

What was that supposed to mean?  

She looked at him in puzzlement, and Evan twisted his face in pain, as if he was the one hurting more, pressing his lips together, then let out a long sigh, rubbing his face with both hands.

“But I really am fine. I’ve completely severed ties with Baron Lewin, and he’s being properly punished now. The way to get revenge on Baron Lewin is to forget them and live happily, so that’s what I’ll do. No matter what.”

“But….”

He bit his lip and dropped his gaze. Seeing the discontent on his face, Daphne cupped his cheeks in both hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.

“I really am fine. You said you believe everything I say. Was that a lie?”

“N-no! I believe everything. Because it’s you saying it. But I can’t help worrying. Because I….”

He fidgeted, squirming like a puppy needing to pee. He trailed off, but Daphne could guess what words would follow. She actually felt relieved that nothing about him had changed since that day.

If nothing had changed, that meant his heart hadn’t changed either.

Daphne tried to control her twitching lips and cleared her throat. He had always treated her sincerely, so it was time for her to show him her true feelings.

…Of course, there were a few improper feelings mixed in, but still!

What mattered was being sincere. As she stared at him, his cheeks squished in her hands and his lips sticking out a bit, Evan rolled his eyes, apparently flustered by her gaze.

Daphne took a deep breath, then exhaled solemnly and spoke.

“Sir Clyde.”

“Y-yes.”

Because his lips were sticking out, his voice sounded muffled. Daphne barely held back a laugh and continued.

“I like you.”

Those words, finally spoken, made her heart pound as if it would burst. Thinking she’d finally done it, Daphne pressed her lips together and looked at Evan.

Unable to hide her nervousness, she squeezed his cheeks even harder. Even with her grip about to burst his cheeks, Evan just stared at her blankly, unaffected.

“Sir Clyde?”

The moment she called his name, focus returned to his dazed eyes. His face had turned red before she knew it. It was the same expression she’d seen when looking up at him from the bed.

He seemed to have regained focus, but his eyelids drooped, half-veiling his pupils. He still didn’t seem to grasp the situation and said nothing.

Did he not hear properly?  

Thinking it over, Daphne opened her mouth to repeat herself. But suddenly, a strong pull toppled her forward helplessly.

Without even a chance to scream, Daphne was pulled into his arms and stiffened under his strong grip. He must have built up more muscle during training, because he was much firmer than the last time she’d been held.

Daphne reached out and gently wrapped her arms around his neck. Pressed against his solid chest, it was a little hard to breathe, but she felt so secure that she let out a satisfied breath and slowly relaxed.

“I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“Would you rather it was a dream?”

“If it’s a dream, I hope I never wake up.”

“Ahaha, there’s no way this is a dream!”

She tightened her arms a little, hugging his neck, and felt his hand settle at her waist. The gentle grip at her waist, the proper weight, and the warmth—these were just as she remembered.

Just touching him, the solid walls she’d built around her heart crumbled all at once. As she leaned into him, breathing slowly, Daphne glanced up at the clock on the wall.

‘It’s already 2 a.m.!’

Today, the ticking of the second hand felt especially fast and unforgiving. According to her memory of the knights’ schedule, it was normal to wake up at 5:30. Even if Evan went to sleep right now, there would barely be three hours left.